If you smoked a whole turkey for Thanksgiving, your crew will love this tasty, smoky stew that’s easy to make and a great new way to use up that leftover turkey. But even if you didn’t, you can still cook up a delicious batch using regular roast turkey meat and adding a couple of drops of liquid smoke to create a truly authentic version of this southern favorite.

The History of Brunswick Stew
There are as many versions of this delicious fall stew as there are stories about its origin. Residents of Brunswick County, Virginia, claim to be the originators of this stew in the 1800s during a hunting excursion. It contained squirrel and was prepared outdoors for the hunters over an open fire. The earliest versions were usually made with available wild game: rabbit, squirrel, and even opossum.

Georgia cooks traditionally include a combination of meats, usually pork or beef, in their tasty version. However, Brunswick stew may precede early American history altogether. In Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings book, Cross Creek Cookery, she states that Brunswick Stew was known to be a favorite dish of Queen Victoria (1819-1901), and thus can be traced to Brunswick (Braunschweig) in old Germany.

Regardless of its origin, Brunswick Stew has remained a true culinary favorite in this country for generations. I included a cup of my original barbecue sauce recipe in the ingredients list and smoked turkey for this signature version, I hope you enjoy!

Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the shredded smoked turkey meat and remaining ingredients to the stock pot and stir to combine. Bring the stew to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 hours or until potatoes and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

Note: Comments that further the discussion of the above content are likely to be approved. Those comments that are vague or are simply submitted in order to promote a product, service or web site, although not necessarily considered "spam," are generally not approved.

If you notice a hole in the upper left-hand corner of your Farmers' Almanac, don't return it to the store! That hole isn't a defect; it's a part of history. Starting with the first edition of the Farmers' Almanac in 1818, readers used to nail holes into the corners to hang it up in their homes, barns, and outhouses (to provide both reading material and toilet paper). In 1919, the Almanac's publishers began pre-drilling holes in the corners to make it even easier for readers to keep all of that invaluable information (and paper) handy.